'Autumn Joy' has been a fixture of perennial borders since it received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit in 1993, and the decades of popularity are well earned. It begins the year as a tight mound of rounded, fleshy green leaves, then develops pale pink flower buds through summer. By late summer, those buds open to deeper red, attracting butterflies and bees in numbers. The browned seed heads that remain through winter have genuine architectural character, especially when frosted.

Growing one and a half to two feet tall and wide, it fits neatly into the middle of a mixed border, along a foundation, or in a container where drainage is controllable. Full sun is ideal, though it tolerates some morning or afternoon shade. As with all showy stonecrops, the two rules to keep it looking its best are sharp drainage and a restraint in feeding: rich soil produces the soft, floppy stems and root rot that are the only real threats to an otherwise problem-free plant. Hardy from zone 3 to 10.